


How to Love a Hero: A Link x Reader Story

by ThatPersonWhoWrites



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fanfiction, Female Characters, Fluff, Game Spoilers, Hyrule Kingdom, Innocent Link, Link is a pure cinnamon roll, Minor Angst, Spoilers, Talking Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 05:14:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12247707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPersonWhoWrites/pseuds/ThatPersonWhoWrites
Summary: You are an ordinary village girl with a love for history. In the midst of your book studies, you come across a part in history where everyone's lives were changed. The awful time when Calamity Ganon rose up and attempted to take over Hyrule.You held that book close to your heart. You knew that brave knight would come back one day, even if no one else did. You never thought much of it until you started to hear a young woman's voice deep in your mind. She spoke of the light waking up and you being the Guardian Angel to protect him and Hyrule.As Calamity Ganon rose again and chaos started to breakout, you met that light and together, you set out to destroy the demon one more. On your journeys, you had an urge to finally take back your kingdom and maybe enter someone's heart.





	1. Small Village Girl

        "Mother! I'm leaving for the shop! I'll be back before sunset!" You called out from behind your shoulder.

 

         Your mother smiled and waved you off from where she was standing in the dining room. "Don't worry about it, dear. Just go off and have fun! I know you're just leaving for the local library anyway."

 

          You chuckled. "How did you know...?"

 

           She grinned wearily at you. "Goddess Hylia told me." You took notice of the slight droop in your mother's eyes and went over to her.

 

           "Well, you were right. But, now that I think about it, I should pick up some fresh hydromelons at the shop." You thought out loud as you quickly snatched a small woven basket from the table and slung it around your arm. You then hugged your mother, kissing her on the cheek "I'll see you in a bit. Don't miss me too much." You laughed with her before stepping out of the small house. With one final wave to her, you closed the door gently.

 

            You looked forward to see the town full of life. This was when your village was most active. Two hours before sunset. Men and women with carts full of herbs and spices drove by, filling your senses with sweet smells. There were foreign travelers coming in and out of the small village, some on horseback, some of foot. They carried huge backpacks, pouches and boxes that consisted of gear for hunting and other goods, along with the clang of rupees being heard as they moved. Children happily ran through the narrow cobblestone streets, laughing and playing with their friends. You sighed in delight as you started to make your way to the shop first. When you arrived minutes later, the shopkeeper grinned widely at you.

 

            "Back for more apples and razorshrooms?" He said, leaning over his stand.

 

             You chuckled. "Actually, not this time. We're almost out of hydromelons."

 

             The shopkeeper came out from behind his stand. "Well, you're in luck! We just received some fresh hydromelons from some travelers! How many?"

 

             You smiled. "Five, please."

             

             The shopkeeper did some quick math in his head then looked back at you. "That'll be 350 rupees." You dug into the pocket of your dress for the colorful gems and handed them to him. He dropped them in his own little pouch and headed off to fetch the fruit. As you were waiting, you looked around at all the plants, fruits and vegetables in the shop. Most of them had most likely come from travelers, who had brought them from far off lands. You tucked a loose strand of hair behind your pointed ear as you heard the shopkeeper return with the fruit you had requested.

 

            "Here 'ya go!" The shopkeeper threw a toothy grin your way. He placed them gently in your basket the weight weighing you arm down a bit.

 

            "Thank you." You said with a sincere smile.

 

            "No, thank you." He replied.

 

            You chuckled and waved to him, heading for the library. Upon entering the library owner looked at you and waved enthusiastically. You and her were about the same age, both young adults looking for your place in the world. She went by the name of Cath. "Welcome back, (Y/N)!" She said quietly, not to disturb the others.

 

            You have her a soft nod in greeting and went over to your usual spot in the library. The back corner where all the history books were. You set your basket full of hydromelons  down and went over to the shelves to pick out the book you were currently in the midst of reading.

 

            _"The Tales and Legends of the Great Calamity"_

 

 

            You looked at the beast placed on the cover and shivered a bit.

 

            "You do know that book's full of lies, right?" You heard a voice say behind you. You whipped your whole body around to face a man, who looked to be in his early twenties.

 

             "Um..you don't know that." You said as you listened to what he had to say next after seeing him roll his eyes.

 

             "You really think a beast like that is just going to -out of nowhere- rise up and try to take over? No. And don't even get me started on the whole "knight" thing where he's been sleeping for 100 years. That's ridiculous. That's not possible!" He whisper-yelled and gave you a glare that said nothing but 'I'm right. I'm always right.'.

 

              Your face visibly turned red in anger. "It is possible! Purah, the person who runs the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, has been working on it for a long while now!"

 

              He laughed, which frustrated you even more. "She's six years old! What does she know?"

 

              You looked him in the eyes and yelled, "Apparently, more than you! You have an acorn for a brain!" You quickly shut your mouth as you saw all of the citizens in the library looking at you. You cleared your throat awkwardly and looked head of you again. The man was already stomping away in fury. You sunk into the corner slowly with your book and huffed. Calamity Ganon will return one day, but so will that knight. You were sure of it. You hugged the book close to your chest. You didn't care if you were the only one in your village who believed it. You placed he book under your arm and ran out, not daring to look back.

 

              When you arrived home, you sat at the Dining table. Your mother was already in bed. You glanced out the window at the Castle of Hyrule Kingdom. Something was off about it. It wasn't as bright as it usually was. You decided to shrug it off and opened your book. You picked up from where you left out last time.

 

_"...but the two warriors -the princess and her appointed knight- were stuck on the goal of eradicating the demon. With the help of the Four Divine Beasts and the Champions who controlled them, they managed to knock him down. The knight, who's hand was gripping the sword that seals the darkness, plunged it's blade deep into the beast. With the last of his energy, he sent the Calamity back to the dark hell it had risen from. The Calamity was gone, but alas, the brave knight had collapsed. His comrades who had helped him through his perilous journey -excluding the Champions who had unfortunately lost their lives-  carried him to the Shrine of Resurrection, where he is thought to be still sleeping by many. Citizens still think he will wake, but only when Calamity Ganon returns. But still, the Hero of Time has yet to rise from his century-long sleep of recovery."  
_

 

              Your eyes scanned the pages until the last words. You closed the book slowly and looked outside once again. "He'll come back. That courageous knight will awake." You said to yourself. "Soon." You finally said, walking to your own bed. You placed the book on the small table next to you.

 

**_BOOM!_ **

 

You let out a scream as a furious shake erupted from the ground. A few particles from the ceiling fell down.

 

            Your mother was sitting upright in her bed, heaving. "What in the name of The Goddesses was that?!" You didn't answer, but ran outside.

 

            People were outside panicking and screaming, having heard and felt the same thing you and your mother did. You glanced up at Hyrule Castle, and your heart felt like it was thumping in your throat, threatening to burst out. Dark purple and black clouds swarmed the sky, swirling around the Kingdom's most valued symbol. Your heart continued racing and all you could do in that moment was stare in pure terror as a huge beast came from behind the castle, roaring at the volume of the loudest crack of thunder. You saw the frightened princess at the top of the castle . The Triforce on her hand was glowing as bright as the sun. You finally remembered the beast from the book.

 

             "Goddesses...help us. Calamity Ganon has returned..."

 

              

 


	2. Injuries

     "What?! They're all dead?!" You were sure your voice could be heard throughout the shattering kingdom of Hyrule and the torrential downpour. You kept up with Link and Zelda's pace, but kept your body behind the princess, just in case she would get unattached with Link's grasp. You were currently in shock due to hearing the dreadful news of the four other champions losing their lives while piloting their assigned Divine Beasts. You couldn't believe it. Mipha, Daruk, Revali, Urbosa...they were some of the closest friends you had...and they were gone. All of them. You glanced at Link, who had nodded in response to your outburst. Tears were burning at the brim of your eyes, making your vision more blurred than it originally was from the rain. You blinked back the tears as you continued to trail behind the pair. The princess suddenly let out a gasp and slipped from Link's hand, falling to the muddy ground. He looked back, and, with worry written all over his features, rushed back. You attempted to help her up, but she let herself go limp, as if she refused to keep going. You glanced at Link's figure, and saw the male crouching down in front of the princess. You gave up on your attempts and decided to crouch down with him, following his gaze to look at Zelda. Through the rain, you could hear a small voice that came from the princess herself.

 

     "I failed..." Zelda said shakily, her lips quivering in a desperate attempt to hold back her cries.

 

     You knew Link wasn't much of a talker, so you stepped in. "Zelda, your highness, it's not your fault Calmity-"

 

     "I failed everyone!" You were interrupted.

 

     "Daruk, Revali, Mipha, Urbosa! They all died because of me! All because I couldn't receive this cursed sealing power! And...my father...he..." Zelda's breaths became ragged. She looked at you, sapphire orbs glistening out of anger and sadness. "If you had gotten to your Divine Beast, you would've been dead too!" You took a quick glance down at your dirty and torn up shirt, the abstract design in front fading away beneath the grime. You looked back at the princess.

 

     "It's not your fault! You can't control the Calamity! That's what did all of this!" You stretched out your arms. "Calamity Ganon is what corrupted the Guardians and the Divine Beasts! Not you!" You strictly said, pointing at her. " _You_ did everything you could. Don't blame yourself."

 

     You watched as the princess glanced between you and Link, who had seemed to agree with you. You then saw as Princess Zelda broke into a loud sob and dropped her head into Link's arms heavily. Link seemed shocked for a moment, but then proceeded to wrap his arms around her head to comfort her. You just sat there, heartbroken by the scene in front of you. You felt bad for the princess. Everything in her kingdom was turning to rubble and ashes right before her eyes and she could do nothing about it. Your head whipped up when you heard the familiar sound of beeping and scattering around. What you saw before you was a fully assembled Guardian. You had learned to trust these machines. But, after the Calamity had hit, you feared them. The Calamity's dark powers had corrupted them and turned them against the very same people they were made to protect.

 

     Your eyes widened at the sight of your new mechanical enemy and your hands slowly made their ways to your two swords hanging on your back. "Link..." You muttered, barely audible.

 

     Link's gaze snapped to you, knowing why you were trying to get his attention. He slowly let go of the princess and, giving her a stern look that said "stay here", took the Master Sword into his hand and turned around, facing a glowing red target centered at the location of his heart. Right as you heard the build up of it's laser , you jumped in to move the princess out of the way as Link ran the other direction. The laser flew past all three of you, setting the ground behind you up in flames and knocking a few trees down. You saw Link get up from making a hard impact on the ground his arm. As the guardian swiftly started to scamper towards you. The princess backed up against a tree that was still standing while you took out swords and slashed the legs of the creature to try and immobilize it. Your attempts were successful as it's two front legs disassembled from it's body, making it fall backward. You took this opportunity to jump on and plunge one of your swords deep into its eye. You watched as it malfunctioned and you pulled out your sword and jumped off, right before it exploded in a pile of flames, smoke and ancient materials. You ran over to the princess, completely out of breath and looked her over. Her once pure white dress with the golden jewelry, now seemed like a brown, torn up rag.

 

     "Are you okay?" You asked the princess, worried that she might of gotten hurt in the process of the battle with the guardian.

 

     Zelda didn't answer with words, but your question was answered with a short nod.

 

     You sighed in relief but your breath hitched in your throat the moment you remembered Link. You remembered seeing him get up, but he usually helps you fight. You helped Zelda up and started to look around anxiously.

 

     You felt Zelda tug on your arm. "He's over there! Link!"

 

     You followed the direction of her gaze and saw the one and only Link, fighting off hoards of guardian stalkers. He seemed exhausted, after defeating one of the oncoming enemies, but he forced a genuine smile onto his face the moment he saw you and Zelda. The princess ran over to him, yourself following behind.

 

     "Link! Stop! You're exhausting yourself!" She screamed.

 

     You wanted to say stop yourself, but you knew if her stopped, all three of you would get swarmed and blown to pieces. You knew what you had to do. "Zelda, your highness, keep him here, somehow." You said as you took out both of your swords once again and walked toward the guardians.

 

     You didn't see it, but Link's eyes had widened at the sight of you going to fight them yourself.

 

     "No!" Link yelled.

 

     You stopped mid-step, Link's voice drilling into your skull.

 

     _Link's voice._

 

     You turned around and faced him from a distance, shock gleaming in your eyes. Zelda seemed quite surprised as well. Your body seemed frozen, everything seemed to slow. You swore you had seen Link and Zelda's mouths open in fear and yell something to you, but your head had blocked all sounds out.

 

     You were swept back into reality as a sharp, piercing pain went through your stomach. Your blood-curling scream was muted as you dropped your weapons and your hands flew to your stomach. You sensed your body dropping to the ground. You felt paralyzed as your wounded body hit the ground. You heard muffled voices and an angry yell before what you thought was an explosion. Vibrations in the earth told you someone or something was coming towards you. Your blurred vision gave you a shape above you, and what felt like little droplets of water fell onto your face. You heard a scream of some sort and you finally blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     You opened your eyes as a gasp was released. You looked down and saw your body was still intact. You felt your stomach and felt it was still there.

 

     "What in Hylia's name..." You mumbled to yourself, tears flooding your eyes due to the extremity of the scene your mind had played for you. It seemed so real.

 

     You turned your body around and started to run to nowhere in particular, just trying to get away from the madness of what was once your village. You found a pile of rubble of which you could probably hide in until this was over, but you knew the danger of getting killed would still be creeping up on you.

 


	3. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost a year since your village was destroyed. You have decided that living on your own was just as dangerous as you had expected it to be. But someone will have to find you... and it's someone who you have wished to see ever since you started researching the Calamity... But do you 'really' know who he is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy so I'm back from a longggg hiatus! I am so sorry for the absence, I just had realllly bad writers block and family issues and school and yeah. So. Without further ado, please, enjoy this chapter! I might start uploading weekly now, but I'm still not sure, you'll just have to find out ;)

  _10 months later_

  Link cautiously made his way through the dangerous Hyrule Field, keeping both cerulean eyes on the lookout for the many guardian stalkers that were scampering around. Just as he thought he was in the clear, his highly sensitive ears perked up at the sound of programmed beeping noises. His breath caught in his throat as he slowly turned his body around to see the very enemy he was hoping not to see. It's red eye had centered on him and it's long laser had reached the area of his heart. It's long, metal, spider-like legs moved it's ancient body from side to side, in order to get a more precise shot on the Hylian. Link let out a small breath and whipped his shield out. He put it in front of him and waited for the right moment to throw the guardian's own attack right back at it. The moment the powerful beam of energy started making its way to Link, he moved his shield in a way to perform a perfect parry. It hit its own owner and Link watched as it slowly malfunctioned and exploded. He placed his shield on his back once more and took a deep breath. He turned around and continued on his journey through the ruins of Hyrule Field and Castle Town.

 

         He peeked around the ruins, cautious to not accidentally bump into another one of those ancient machines. When he saw that the coast was clear, he let out an exhausted sigh and started walking forward. His footsteps paused when he heard shuffling to his right. His muscles tensed up as his head whipped to the side, hand already reaching for the royal guard sword on his back. The shuffling sound became louder as the figure drew closer, Link’s knuckles turning white from gripping the sword. The figure came into view, another Hylian seeming to be the same age as Link. As the other Hylian looked up from her pouch on her hip, she screamed as she saw Link standing there. Link screamed as well, the sudden noise from her startling him.

 

         The other Hylian stood there, her hand over her heart in shock. “Oh, my Hylia! I thought I was gonna die or something!” She said, letting out a breath and looking back up at Link.

 

         Link calmed himself down, looking up also. He immediately got all flustered and put his hands up in apology.

 

         You also put your hands up. “No, no, no! It’s alright! You just kind of startled me for a moment…” You laughed a bit as Link’s shoulders dropped, a visible sign of relief.

 

         Link bent down to get his sword, strapping it back onto his back. As he stood back up, he took notice of you staring at him. His tunic, to be exact. As you looked back up at his face, he tilted his head a bit as if to question you.

 

         “Oh! I’m sorry for staring, that was a bit rude. But I couldn’t help but notice that your tunic there looks like the four ancient champions of Hyrule. You know, their clothes.” You said. You tensed up as he looked at you, confused. “Ugh, I’m sorry again! That was a weird thing to say.” You mumbled, almost slapping yourself in the face.

 

         Link chuckled and shook his head. He then put up five fingers, trying to say there were five champions.

 

         Now it was your turn to look confused. “Five? You mean there were five champions?”

 

         Link nodded.

 

         “Huh? Well, my research might’ve been wrong then- wait! Oh, right. The appointed knight!” You exclaimed.

 

         Link nodded again, smiling wide.

 

         You looked at him closer. “I mean, all jokes aside, you kind of resemble the appointed knight of Princess Zelda. Of course, of what the books described.”

 

         Link shrugged, pulling something out of the belt on his waist that seemed to have vibrated. You couldn’t see it that well, but it looked like some sort of strange tablet. It had a weirdly familiar symbol on the back of it. You couldn’t figure it out in time as he had put it back without a second thought. He put a hand up to excuse himself and walked past you.

 

          _Alright then, “good sir”. Bye-_

 

         Your thoughts were cut off as a voice inside your head was heard.

 

          **_The light. You must guide the light. You must guard and protect it. Hyrule must be saved. Guide the light. Guide the light. Guide the light. Guide the-_ **

 

         “Alright! I understand!” You yelled. You immediately covered your mouth, hoping that nothing had heard you. You looked in the direction that Link went, seeing a dead guardian in the aftermath of its explosion. Link appeared from the smoke, looking at you with worried eyes.

 

         Well, he heard you. And that guardian probably did too when it was alive.

 

         As he walked over to you again, you shuffled your feet awkwardly. “Um, sorry. For the third time. It’s just that I’ve been getting these weird voices in my he- you know what? Never mind. Just go on your way, you seem busy.” As you were about to escape from the situation, Link pulled you back.

 

         He held you by the shoulders, gripping them so hard that you actually winced a bit. “She spoke to you.”

 

         You were shocked to hear his voice, you thought he couldn’t talk. But more importantly, what was he talking about? “Um...what- what do you mean “she” spoke to me?” You said, trying to wiggle your way out of his grasp, but to no avail.

 

         Link looked at you as if his life depended on it. “You know who I mean.” He let go, half of you happy that he did.

 

         As you rubbed your sore shoulders, you looked at the blonde haired Hylian. You saw that his back was turned but his head was in his hand. He was thinking about something. “Um...is something wro-”

 

         Link’s head shot up. “You’re the guardian angel.”

 

         Your face distorted into an utterly confused expression. “What?”

 

         “(Y/N).” He said, out of the blue.

 

          _Did he just… say my name? Or am I hearing things again…?_

 

He turned back towards you, looking you straight in the eyes. “You have to come with me. Now.”

 

         As he grabbed your hand to pull him with you, you instinctively pulled back. “No! I just met you and you expect me to just follow you around? No way. I don’t even know your name!”

 

         He grabbed your hand again and once more, began pulling you with him. “The name’s Link. We need to go.”

 

         You ripped your hand away again. “Well, “Link”. I still don’t know you that well and I’m definitely not gonna follow a complete stranger around.”

 

          _If we keep standing here like this, we’re gonna get bombarded with those stupid machines…!_

 

         “But you do.” Link said, looking at you with those serious blue eyes of his.

 

         “Huh?” You said.

 

         “You do know me.” He said.

 

         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh my goodness what that was so shorttt. I am so sorry that is was so short in length but I made this and posted it at like 2:00 in the morning just because I can't sleep all that well. But, anyways, at least I got it up. This was just supposed a chapter that said that I was back for the time being. So, I promise you guys, the next chapters to come will be much longer and better! :))


End file.
